Kale Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

by Michelle on January 3, 2014

Happy New Year! A few days ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Lyssie Lakatos and Tammie Lakatos Shames, aka The Nutrition Twins, for a post I did for TODAY.com on detoxing in 2014. Their new book, The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure, is full of recipes and tips on how and why to incorporate more veggies into your diet. Not only were they super nice, but the twins have TONS of fantastic recipes. As soon as they said the words kale and avocado salad, my ears perked up because that is one of my favorite food combinations. The grapefruit in this salad was a surprise but since I love grapefruit, and don’t eat nearly enough of it, I was eager to give it a try.

Wow. We loved this salad! If you let it sit for a bit before serving, the avocado softens and coats the leaves and the grapefruit is an unexpected and refreshing kick! What’s best of all is that you don’t need a ton of dressing weighing these greens down. A little bit of lemon juice and olive oil enhances the flavor of this heart healthy salad that’s super satisfying. If you’re a kale lover, add this one to your repertoire tonight!

Kale Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

1 head of Lacinato kale, stems discarded, and torn into bite size pieces

1/2 of an avocado, cubed small

1 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned and cut into bite size chunks

2 tablespoons shelled pistachios

1 tablespoon pepitas (I used sunflower seeds because I didn’t have pepitas)

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Zest from 1/2 a lemon

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 shallot, minced

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the shallot, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss to coat the leaves. Let sit at least 10 minutes or until the kale begins to wilt, tossing occasionally. Add grapefruit, avocado, pumpkin seeds and pistachios. Toss and serve.

About Me
I love to cook. I love to eat. And if friends and family are around to enjoy these pleasures with me, it is a very happy day indeed. But while I’ve been eating all my life, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I began to pay attention to where my food came from... More »